Shoulder arthroplasty in recreational golfers

A retrospective review of 24 patients who had shoulder arthroplasty revealed that 23 were able to resume playing golf. The 23 patients (mean age 52.4 years, range 26.4 to 71.9 years) underwent 26 shoulder arthroplasties, 20 total shoulder arthroplasties, and 6 hemiarthroplasties. The average follow-up was 53.4 months (range 24.4 to 127.2 months). The average length of time from shoulder arthroplasty to playing an entire round of golf was 4.5 months. Eighteen patients were able to report their preoperative handicap and noted an average improvement after surgery of almost 5 strokes. Playing golf did not result in increased radiographic evidence of component loosening, and no increase occurred in lucent lines when the golfers were compared with a control group of 76 patients with osteoarthritis who had 103 shoulder arthroplasties (P < .05). Fifty members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Society were mailed a standardized questionnaire of 11 questions concerning patients who had shoulder arthroplasty and played golf. Most surgeons (91%) encouraged such patients to resume playing golf. The average length of time members of the Society recommended that patients should wait after shoulder arthroplasty before resuming golf was 4.3 months. Approximately 60% of surgeons believed that no limit should be placed on the number of golf rounds played weekly, and 91% denied an increase in complications among those who returned to playing golf after undergoing shoulder arthroplasty. Fewer than one third of the surgeons (29.5%) believed that component wear would be a problem in patients who undergo shoulder arthroplasty and play golf frequently and would recommend a hemiarthroplasty for an active golfer because of concern about future glenoid problems.